A great Marsden just passed on
Obituary -my grandfather:
Mr. Lawrence Albert Marsden (Larry), age 86, died June 12, 2005 at High Point Regional Hospital. Surviving family members include his wife of 64 years, Millicent Snyder Marsden, his four children and their spouses, Kim and Scott Parker of High Point, Andi and Don Morgan of Hickory, Skip and Margaret Marsden of Hendersonville, and John and Trish Marsden of High Point. He also leaves 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
The epitome of a Renaissance Man, Marsden was a lawyer, a successful entrepreneur, an author, a musician, a humorist, a photographer, a pilot and in all ways a ray of bright light to those that knew and loved him.
He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and reared in Luverne, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and later earned his law degree at George Washington University.
During World War II he rose to the rank of Lt. Commander in the Navy. He served on the USS Doyan, an attack transport vessel deployed in the Pacific. Marsden later wrote about his war experiences in “Attack Transport,” published in 1946 by the University of Minnesota Press. He rewrote and updated the book under the title “Gemini Ship,” published by Infinity Publishing Com. in 2002.
Marsden moved to High Point in 1946 where he opened Marsden, Inc., a fabric sales organization. The company was later renamed Marsden-Slate, Inc. where he was joined by Dick Slate. Norm Weisbecker also later became a partner in the business. Marsden attained his private pilot’s license for business purposes, and was an active member of the Sportman’s Pilot Association for years.
Larry Marsden pioneered the use of non-woven fabrics for use in the automotive industry for headliners and bodycloth. He held a number of patents for processes he developed as a result. He remains an icon in the use and development of fabrics for a variety of applications. He retired from his position as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Guilford Mills, Inc. in 1984.
The family held an informal reception at the Marsden residence at Maryfield on June 14th, and a memorial service was held at Maryfield Chapel on June 15th. Please direct memorials to Maryfield, 1315 Greensboro Road, High Point, NC 27260, or to the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205.